2008 Beijing Olympic Thoughts

Today at Church, Bishop Becker reminded us to write down important moments in our lives that we will be able to share with our posterity in the future. Since we have kind of gotten away from writing in our journal, hopefully, keeping this blog will help in some way - at least we can share our feelings and thoughts with our friends.

I've really been looking forward to these Olympic games and can't believe that after so many years - that it's actually here. Growing up, my dream was to one day participate in the Olympics and I always thought Beijing would kind of be cool - a homecoming of sorts.

Watching the opening ceremonies and the incredible display of artistry and shear pageantry was truly impressive and awe-inspiring. I must admit that although 1) I'm Canadian 2) I have lived in the US for quite a few years, and 3) the closest I've gotten to China was serving a mission in Taiwan; I surely felt a sense of National pride - not Canadian, not American, but Chinese national pride. It is a feeling truly difficult to explain. This was the land of my ancestry and they were putting on a glorious show for the entire world to behold - and I felt proud to be associated with it - even if it was only by ancestry or heritage. I truly feel that Chinese descendants everywhere surely felt some of the same stirrings of pride in their Chinese heritage as I did.

I typically don't cheer for the Chinese, but this time I did. I'm also rooting hard for the Canadians and my friends who are on the US Olympic team. I also feel a certain sense of loss with American's with the loss of an Olympic parent (the individual who was killed was the father-in-law of Hugh McCutcheon - the current US men's volleyball head coach, and the assistant coach with BYU men's volleyball team while I was the student trainer with the team back in 1999). Some may call it loyalty. Maybe I'm just being a fan of sport. Regardless, these Olympics have already touched me and will hold a special memory and place in my heart.

Maybe in another sense, it's just another chance for my ancestors to call out to me reminding me that there is lots of work to be done for them - so many thousands and millions - even a billion - who lack the knowledge of God and his gospel. I do feel a kinship to the people of China - and to the country as a whole. Part of me longs to "return" to a land that I have never been. Like a Taiwanese Olympian said, going back to China and being "(received and welcomed there) was like coming home."

I hope you all enjoy the spectacle of the games and brush up on your Chinese because they will need all the missionaries they can get - there's a large field that will soon be ripe and needs harvesting...

My very late Tag challenge post

Liz I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to respond to your tag challenge. I am a slacker what can I say! However, it was really fun just to stop and take pictures of the this day. So, here are my pics...

p.s. I have no idea why all my words are being underlined, it is very annoying so sorry!

This was so cute, because I had just grabbed the camera and Rylan walked in holding Addy. She had just woken up from her nap and I am so glad I got her sleepy face on camera. She is so stinkin' cute I can hardly stand it.

Here is Aubrey looking presentable. Usually she is running around in her underwear. She loves to finger paint or color in her princess coloring book.

Although, this just a picture of my kitchen sink. It will forever remind me of how Aubrey gets that little pink teapot and fills it up with water. So, she can have her tea parties. I think it's up there because I had confiscated it for a while, she spills water all over the house.

I wasn't sure if we were suppose to take a picture of the outside of the refrigerator or the inside. My outside is pretty boring, so here is a look at the inside.

Our laundry room...pretty boring! Although, can I just say that everything in that room we bought off of Craigslist. We love craigslist.

These are absolutely my favorite shoes. I hate my feet so I wouldn't model them, but they are so comfy. I have converted so many people to these flip flops because they mold to your feet. I LOVE THEM. If you want to know... so you too can have the best flip flops in the world they are Roxy flip flops.

Now, I was suppose to have taken a picture of my most favorite room in the house. And although I wouldn't say this is my most favorite room to hang out in. It's my most favorite decorated room in the house...because it's pretty much the only decorated room in the house so far. (o:

Here is a picture of my closet....not so exciting.

Well, that concludes my little tag challenge. Thanks again Liz for the tag challenge. I am now going to tag...Wingman, Emily, Bethany, and Coree. Just take pictures of your kids (no fixing them up), your kitchen sink, refrigerator, your laundry room, favorite shoes, favorite room, and your closet. No worries, just have fun.

Did someone say it's your BIRTHDAY?

It has been quite a busy month with 3 birthday's in 11 days! Rylan and Aubrey had their birthday's on the 27th of July, while Addy followed shortly on the 8th of August. We sure had a fun time. Molly wanted to have a quaint family party for Aubrey and Addy on their respective birthdays and then an extended family party in between. I think next year, we'll just stick to one birthday party each - too stressful. :) However, Aubrey loved it - thinking that every day for the past week and a half was her birthday - again, and again, and again! She was so excited and the day after her birthday she was so sad that it was over. She asked, "can I have my birthday back?" It was so sweet. She sure had a great time swimming and opening presents and spending time with her cousins.

Addy's birthday came on 8-8-08 which is the luckiest Chinese number! It was also the night of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. Since we don't have TV, we went to Molly's parents for a Chinese dinner, Addy's birthday bash, and the opening ceremonies. Addy had a wonderful time eating her cake and opening presents - again. She's so sweet and cute, and it's so hard to believe that she's already been with our family for an entire year. We are so blessed to have such wonderful, sweet, girls.

Below are LOTS of pictures of the events of the past couple of weeks.

Addy loves watermelon. She obviously just can't get enough!

Here is Addy getting ready to blow out her first candle.

Addy was so funny when she got her birthday cake. The first thing she did was stick her mouth on the cake...and sucked on the icing...for 5 minutes. It was so funny, because she wasn't chewing and her face appeared to be "stuck" to the cake. If we pulled the cake away, she would scream. It was pretty funny.

Obviously, she enjoyed her cake!

After she got cleaned up she opened a couple of presents from Mom and Dad.

Cousins - Nate and Logan playing on the 3-lane waterslide at Aubrey's party.

Cousin Louisa and Aubrey sharing a sweet moment.

Daddy and Aubrey with their birthday cupcake!

Addy, Mom, and Aubrey opening birthday presents.

Addy with her "computer."

Princess Aubrey - the birthday girl!

Aubrey loves dresses - which she calls her "princesses." Her she is in her "princess."

Yes, Rylan is still just a big kid at heart! Here he is narrowly beating out nephew Logan in a race!

Cousins Ammon and Hannah enjoying their hot dogs and watermelon. (Notice Molly's vinyl birthday sign on the door!) Great job, Molly!

Keagan enjoying his food after a small break from the water activities.

The 4th of July in Show Low

For the 4th of July, we went up to Show Low to spend some time with Grammy and Grampy Great. As you can see, the weather was beautiful! It rained super hard with gale wind gusts on the drive up. Molly was pretty white-knuckled! We made it safely, and it was quite a relief to get out of the HOT valley. The temperature up in Show Low was a very pleasant 80-85 degrees compared to 112 degrees in the valley.

We had a great time and the girls were absolutely wonderful. They sure had a wonderful time with their great grandparents. It was so nice to let them play outside on the porch and not worried about them being too hot. Addy and Aubrey sure took a liking to Grammy and Grampy Great. Addy loved to stand on the back porch and yell out to...well, we're not sure what she was yelling at, but she was sure chatty. It was quite amusing. Aubrey had a blast with her bubbles and rocks.

Aubrey sitting pretty with Grammy and Grampy Great

We were fortunate enough to sit by the Johnson's (Molly's friend's parents from high school). They provided the entertainment and commentary during the parade which was hilarious!!! Aubrey built a nice pile of candy and was probably more interested in her stash than the actual parade - until the princesses came by on their horses. She thought it was Cinderella!

Here is Aubrey with her bubbles that kept her occupied most of the weekend!

Addy even got into the candy - which kept her occupied for most of the parade!

The girls hanging out and swinging on the porch swing - having fun.

This is an "Aubrey sandwich." Mom on the bottom, Aubrey in the middle and topped of with Addy!

For some reason, the girls didn't make it up to the bathroom, so they ended up bathing in the kitchen sink.

Green firework.

Multiple fireworks.

The grand finale!

Grammy and Grampy Great have the best view of the fireworks at the high school right from their very own front porch. These pics are from a "fireworks" setting on our camera. Cool, huh? (Should have had a tripod).

Anyway, our trip was sure a lot of fun. It has been quite a while since we were last up there and it was just nice to get away from the valley for a while and visit with the grandparents. They were very accommodating and Grandma baked a great apple pie and Grandpa grilled up some yummy food!

Before we left, we went over to Gibbs house where Molly learned how to do some welding!!! Doesn't she look hot? I think a lot of guys dig a girl who can do home improvement stuff and get dirty like welding, gardening, laying sod, construction, weight lifting, but at the same time be a really cute girly girl. I hope I'm not being too sexist...love you Molly! :) It was sure a lot of fun, but I'm not sure we're ready to invest in ANOTHER hobby!

Addy wanna play with Aubrey???

Aubrey loves to play with her little sister, Addy. Sometimes she's a little rough. Sometimes she's really sweet. Sometimes she likes to share, and sometimes she doesn't. Molly got a couple of photos after Aubrey has "played" with her sister...

Somehow Aubrey got into the freezer and pulled out a can of frozen orange juice.
Well, when you taste something as sweet as concentrated orange juice, you just can't take "one" little taste, can you?

Mmmmm...good.

Aubrey has really taken to coloring. She really tries to stay in between the lines and has been doing really well. This particular day was more of an "abstract" art day experiment with a new medium called "baby sister!" Addy doesn't seem to mind very much. Maybe this is her "Braveheart" look? Thank goodness for non-toxic washable markers!!!

Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort

This is the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort.
Surprisingly, it was only a 45 minute drive away. Rylan had booked the week off, but our travel plans fell through, so we decided to take a little family trip/business get-away to north Phoenix and enjoy one of the local resorts "Summer Splash Specials."

Our accommadations were a pleasant surprise. We got a great suite with a huge living room, 2 bathrooms and a separate master suite for a great deal, then we spent almost the entire time down at the Falls. As you can see from the pictures, we all had a wonderful time. It wasn't crowded at all and the ambiance was terrific! On the weekends, they have a "Dive in Movie" where you watch a movie down at the pool, music and dancing, and tons of family activities.

Since the weather has been averaging 110 F, we decided to spend most of our time down at poolside. Aubrey sure got brave! She saw the other kids there having so much fun that she just needed to learn to swim and jump like them. Here's mom throwing her up in the air - mom got a good workout as Aubrey wanted to jump over and over again!

OK - time for a little break. One of the perks for Summer Splash was a free Icee. Aubrey sure loved that as you can see from her pink teeth! Smile!

Here's dad trying to sneek in a drink, "pleeeease....nope. All gone..."

Aubrey got some water wings and this totally inspired her with some confidence in swimming. She wanted to swim all day - and even go into the deep end and jump off the steps!

Addison loved the water almost as much as Aubrey. Here she is hanging out with dad at the beach entry.

After working so hard during the week - dad sure was happy to spend some time with his "girls." He was so happy to see them splish and splash in the water. It was so fun to see them all laugh and giggle. (Notice more falls in the background).

When not swimming, Aubrey enjoyed sitting in the tube being spun in circles.

"Hang on mom, just gotta catch a few more rays..."

Aubrey catching some air and jumping in the water...again.

Mom and the girls just in front of one of the many falls.

Tapatio Cliffs and The Falls Water Park

Mom got some great hugs and just got a thrill out of playing with the girls in the water. She also got a little sunburned - despite putting on 50 SPF sunscreen!!!

Aubrey braving the water - without water wings - she learned how to put her face in the water and go underneath without breathing in water! (Phew...what a relief).

Addy just had a blast too. Here she is swinging around in the tube. She just giggled and made funny faces while splashing in the water.

If you're ever in town - we highly recommend going to Tapatio Cliffs. It was so much fun - there's a 150 foot waterslide, half a dozen pools, spas, huge water volleyball area, clubhouse, family fun center, restaurants, cantinas, and above all - really reasonable rates. We sure had a fun time and will be sure to make time more often to go on these little family outings. Life is too short and the kids grow too fast. Even though it was a short trip (almost 24 hrs) the time with family was wonderful and I'm sure we'll have some great memories! And really, isn't that what life is all about?